drummed her fingers against the table. Restlessness crawled through her.
None of us really understand them. Now, shush. I’m trying to listen.
She turned in the seat to stare at him, but his placid gaze remained focused on Rory. Did he really just shush her?
“We were not laboratory experiments. We were simply testing our abilities. Yes, they tested me first and often because mine were hard to quantify. Josh can create a tornado, so they could ‘see’ his ability. Curtis can make the earth bend to his will. Amanda can shoot tremendous amounts of energy out of her hands. They have tangible gifts. Mine? Not so much. And more to the point, it was a good thing. We all learned control. We learned confidence. It’s how we met—”
“—and how we became costumed heroes.” Amanda sat forward, done with her silence. If they wanted to keep ganging up on Rory, they would have to go through her. “We found that we were good at helping people, and we liked doing it.”
“Yeah, that’s Rory’s fault, too.” Curtis tossed the live grenade into the conversation and Michael quelled the next outburst with a glare.
“Hey, I saw a problem. I fixed it. I can’t turn my mind off. I can’t turn off what I see or how I react to it.” Rory looked at her man steadily. “Don’t ever ask me to try. I am exactly who I am, and I’m not changing for anyone.”
“Perhaps we should move on. If this wasn’t military or government sanctioned…” Rex suggested. Amanda bit her lip and raised her brows at Rory.
It was government sanctioned. Simon’s mental sigh echoed through her, and she started mentally chanting the last hip hop song she could remember until she felt his retreat.
“Never said it wasn’t.” Rory rubbed the back of her neck. “We had to train against someone and special ops paramilitary are really good opponents. But we’re not drafted and our names were never released. It’s why we use codenames. People don’t know who we ‘really’ are.”
“On that note.” Simon stood. “We’re going to table the rest of our discussions. We have a lot to consider here and—”
Michael strode out of the room, and the door slammed behind him. Rory sighed, but made no move to follow. “Actually, Simon, that’s a great idea. We—” She motioned to herself, Amanda, Josh and Curtis. “—need to talk, too. In private. Without mental eavesdropping.”
“Agreed.”
“Yep.”
Curtis and Josh backed her up, and Amanda nodded slowly.
“Okay, then I guess I’m elected to defuse the Captain.” Garrett brushed a gloved hand to Ilsa’s cheek and left. The others followed one at a time until only Simon remained. He studied all of them.
“I can’t leave her mind unguarded, not while she remains fragile, but I will do my best to stay out of the conversation.”
And if you hear something you don’t like? Amanda challenged him.
He rose slowly, studying her. Trust, Amanda. If you mean us no harm, then there is nothing I need to reveal. You have my word.
She could live with that. Deal. Besides, it was kind of nice to have him in her head where she could pick on him.
Glad to hear it… His dry humor amused her. She was still smiling when the door closed behind him and she was alone with her team.
Finally.
“What are you doing with these people, Roar?” Amanda walked slowly. They’d decided to walk outside and use the sound of the surf, and the wind courtesy of Josh, to muffle their conversation. The air seemed almost too cold to Amanda, and she fisted her hands inside the jacket pockets.
“It’s a really long story, and we can trust them—”
“The way he talked to you and the way you were glaring at him?” She shook her head slowly. “It doesn’t look like it from here.”
“Eh, they’re okay.” Hell of an endorsement coming from Josh. “A moodier bunch of bastards than you’ll ever meet, but they try.” He flicked a stone out toward the surf and it glided through the wave and kept
None of us really understand them. Now, shush. I’m trying to listen.
She turned in the seat to stare at him, but his placid gaze remained focused on Rory. Did he really just shush her?
“We were not laboratory experiments. We were simply testing our abilities. Yes, they tested me first and often because mine were hard to quantify. Josh can create a tornado, so they could ‘see’ his ability. Curtis can make the earth bend to his will. Amanda can shoot tremendous amounts of energy out of her hands. They have tangible gifts. Mine? Not so much. And more to the point, it was a good thing. We all learned control. We learned confidence. It’s how we met—”
“—and how we became costumed heroes.” Amanda sat forward, done with her silence. If they wanted to keep ganging up on Rory, they would have to go through her. “We found that we were good at helping people, and we liked doing it.”
“Yeah, that’s Rory’s fault, too.” Curtis tossed the live grenade into the conversation and Michael quelled the next outburst with a glare.
“Hey, I saw a problem. I fixed it. I can’t turn my mind off. I can’t turn off what I see or how I react to it.” Rory looked at her man steadily. “Don’t ever ask me to try. I am exactly who I am, and I’m not changing for anyone.”
“Perhaps we should move on. If this wasn’t military or government sanctioned…” Rex suggested. Amanda bit her lip and raised her brows at Rory.
It was government sanctioned. Simon’s mental sigh echoed through her, and she started mentally chanting the last hip hop song she could remember until she felt his retreat.
“Never said it wasn’t.” Rory rubbed the back of her neck. “We had to train against someone and special ops paramilitary are really good opponents. But we’re not drafted and our names were never released. It’s why we use codenames. People don’t know who we ‘really’ are.”
“On that note.” Simon stood. “We’re going to table the rest of our discussions. We have a lot to consider here and—”
Michael strode out of the room, and the door slammed behind him. Rory sighed, but made no move to follow. “Actually, Simon, that’s a great idea. We—” She motioned to herself, Amanda, Josh and Curtis. “—need to talk, too. In private. Without mental eavesdropping.”
“Agreed.”
“Yep.”
Curtis and Josh backed her up, and Amanda nodded slowly.
“Okay, then I guess I’m elected to defuse the Captain.” Garrett brushed a gloved hand to Ilsa’s cheek and left. The others followed one at a time until only Simon remained. He studied all of them.
“I can’t leave her mind unguarded, not while she remains fragile, but I will do my best to stay out of the conversation.”
And if you hear something you don’t like? Amanda challenged him.
He rose slowly, studying her. Trust, Amanda. If you mean us no harm, then there is nothing I need to reveal. You have my word.
She could live with that. Deal. Besides, it was kind of nice to have him in her head where she could pick on him.
Glad to hear it… His dry humor amused her. She was still smiling when the door closed behind him and she was alone with her team.
Finally.
“What are you doing with these people, Roar?” Amanda walked slowly. They’d decided to walk outside and use the sound of the surf, and the wind courtesy of Josh, to muffle their conversation. The air seemed almost too cold to Amanda, and she fisted her hands inside the jacket pockets.
“It’s a really long story, and we can trust them—”
“The way he talked to you and the way you were glaring at him?” She shook her head slowly. “It doesn’t look like it from here.”
“Eh, they’re okay.” Hell of an endorsement coming from Josh. “A moodier bunch of bastards than you’ll ever meet, but they try.” He flicked a stone out toward the surf and it glided through the wave and kept
Similar Books
